Greg Jowaisas Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 (edited) After replacing more than half of the gussets and nearly half of the valleys the project is nearly done. Doesn't look like much but she is airtight and about to become beautiful! Last step is to apply the beautiful Jeffries papers that the Dippers provide. Edited February 1, 2017 by Greg Jowaisas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrP Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Looks like a lot of careful work. Hope it turns out airtight and handsome for many more years of playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Kruskal Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Thanks for sharing this work. My own Jeffries bellows have needed extensive repair along these lines and it is a very satisfying task indeed. Still, what you have done here takes the cake. Bravo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Thanks for the pics and details Greg. Congrats on a job well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Greg, Shalll I merge your three threads so they appear together? (It's fine by me if you'd rather keep them separate). Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Ken, You are the administrator and I'm confident in your judgement. With the number of pictures I used I found it necessary to spread the allowable download memory over four separate topics. Perhaps I could have accomplished the same with one topic and three subsequent posts? I'll keep repairing concertinas but leave the intricacies of the cyber world to you. Thank you for your hard work and expertise. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 (edited) GregNice work, as always.Do you treat the old leather, that you have not replaced, with anything to improve its appearance? Black Resolene, perhaps? Another question: Tandy Leather Weld: Is this water soluble when fully cured? AFAICT it is a "vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer" adhesive and, although water based, these are not usually water soluble when cured. So, can you reverse these joins with moisture after a few days or are they glued together forever?Thx. Don. Edited February 1, 2017 by Don Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 (edited) Hi Don, Area to be treated has a lot to do with which product to use. On the scuffed Tidder bellows (Tidder seems to have used sheep/lambskin which does not have the wear resistance of goat) I first applied a black dye and then followed with a coat of Kiwi Scuff Coat which probably has the same acrylic base as Resolene. I think the idea is to get an appearance improvement with using the least amount of product. For any area that gets a lot of flexing like valleys and gussets I use Fredelka compound. Again the watchword is use the LEAST possible product to get the job done. Pardon the repetition but I've seen too many bellows RUINED by migrating oils like mink oil and neatsfoot oil which can penetrate through the leather and then cause the underlying card to delaminate. Once that happens the bellows folds no longer "march in line" and can even seemingly go in different directions. "Talking puppets" (talking puppet heads) is what Rosalie Dipper calls the condition. Sometimes a bit of relief can be gained by injecting glue into the separating card or replacing the hinges. But severe cases don't have an easy fix and bellows replacement may be necessary. One more caution for any folks looking for an easy way to break in bellows: To my knowledge the best and only safe way to make a stiff bellows more supple and easier to play is to do just that: play the thing! And sometimes your playing will improve along with the bellows Best, Greg PS. The Leather Weld glue is like most pva products. Heat and water can loosen it a bit but I would not call it easily reversible. However, applying more glue does seem to help dissolve existing glue and once the piece is removed and the area cleaned then glue and new leather can be reapplied. Edited February 1, 2017 by Greg Jowaisas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWL Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 PS. The Leather Weld glue is like most pva products. Heat and water can loosen it a bit but I would not call it easily reversible. However, applying more glue does seem to help dissolve existing glue and once the piece is removed and the area cleaned then glue and new leather can be reapplied. People in the violin making world tell me that vinegar will soften PVA glue. I've never had a reason to try it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Firstly. Well done on the bellows overhaul, the result justifies the effort. I never recommend leather treatments. Other than perhaps a bit of shoe cream on rubbing surfaces. You make bellows non repairable, non glueable, as well as ending up with all the results outlined above. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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